Day 158: 2 Chronicles 23-25; John 16:16-33

Of the eight uses of the word 'joy' in John's Gospel, four are in John 16 (vv. 20, 21, 22, 24). Three of those references are related to pain, suffering, and sorrow turning into joy. On Monday I joined the Lakeside Middle School teachers, secretaries and administration who pray weekly. The teacher in whose room we met has not had an easy year (join the crowd). Her comment went like this: "Joy is one of those concepts I just don't get. I struggle with it." Honest! She is not alone. In the moment of Jesus' conversation, neither did the disciples. Even the, "Oh, now we get it!" was not really comprehension. Everything Jesus said would happen...loss, opposition, scattering, hopelessness. But, He who turns mourning into dancing can turn sorrow into joy. The challenge is, we live in this broken world as broken people, and all the pain that comes with brokenness is real. Put Jesus at the center and a transformation takes place. Note, transformation is a temporal (relating to time) word. The secret of joy is found in [abiding in] Jesus. In John 15:11 Jesus says: "I have told you these things that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full/complete." Here is the growing, transformational reality that takes root through Jesus in our suffering and breaks through the hard ground of pain...joy is in Jesus despite our circumstances...these change, Jesus does not (Hebrews 13:8)! He is the Constant of our lives, in our lives. Here's the challenge we left with the teacher: Jesus invites us in His Name: "Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete" (John 16:24). Jesus, be the center of our joy and so make our joy complete.